IT band pain and tightness are extremely common symptoms among those who are active as well as those who are sedentary.
The IT band, located along the outside of your legs, often gets blamed for knee pain, hip pain, and back pain when it tightens up.
Often, the popular remedy for IT band pain and tightness is to roll out or massage the IT band using a foam roller, a lacrosse ball, or a massage gun. Unfortunately, while these methods can create very short-term changes in symptoms, their long-term effectiveness for symptom management is essentially zero.
But, even though the IT band is tight and painful, there may not actually be an issue with the IT band itself. In fact, there may not even be an issue with the hip, knee, or low back.
The symptoms may be stemming from a completely separate area of your body, and that is exactly what happened with one of my clients recently.
A couple days back I had a client come in who had been suffering with low back and hip pain for quite some time. The pain traveled along the outside of her leg, right along the IT band, so the assumption from other professionals was that there was a disc issue as well as an IT band issue happening.
However, after evaluating her range of motion using the Muscle Activation Techniques® process, it became apparent that even though there may be issues with her hips and low back, there was a glaringly obvious issue with her ankle on the symptomatic side.
Specifically, she was not able to point her foot towards herself as well on the symptomatic side as she was on the asymptomatic side.
This motion, called dorsiflexion, is often completely overlooked by most professionals for two main reasons:
1. Most insurance-accepting providers are only allowed to evaluate the symptomatic area due to insurance regulations;
2. Most professionals are not trained to precisely evaluate foot mechanics in a way that is accurate and effective.
Because of these factors, the function of her feet and ankle were being neglected in lieu of chasing the symptoms.
However, using the Muscle Activation Techniques® process, the limitations in ankle motion became immediately apparent.
At that point, I was able to start addressing the muscle inhibition with the muscles that would help perform dorsiflexion, using Muscle Activation Techniques® to improve the strength and function of those specific muscles.
After about 50 minutes of focused work strengthening the muscles of her feet and ankles, she was able to walk around Muscle Activation Schaumburg with a significant reduction in the IT band pain as well as the hip and back pain she had been experiencing.
But why is this? Why would the ankle affect the IT band? And what is specific about the motion of dorsiflexion that would create such a positive impact?
Every time you take a step, the foot you are stepping onto and rolling over has to dorsiflex. However, because your body is so skilled at compensating, if there is a limitation in dorsiflexion, your body will start to move more at other joints to help you walk efficiently.
The three areas it is most likely to compensate through are your mid foot, your knee, and your hip.
Because most people walk in stiff and supportive shoes, the mid foot becomes locked and rigid in the shoe. As such, it becomes less of a viable option to compensate for a lack of dorsiflexion.
However, the knee and hip are very viable options.
When these areas are forced to take on more stress and motion, you may not notice much in the short term. But, in the long term, these areas can become extremely symptomatic.
Sometimes the symptoms stay local to the joints themselves, and sometimes they spread out more. In my client’s case, her symptoms were primarily through her IT band, which is not uncommon since the IT band spans both the knee and the hip.
Fortunately, once the muscles of her feet and ankles started functioning better and creating more ankle dorsiflexion, the extra stress being taken on by the knees and hips could be reduced and we saw an immediate improvement in her symptoms from her knee all the way to her back.
For you, if you are experiencing IT band pain or tightness, understand that it is highly unlikely that your IT band is actually the issue. It may not necessarily be that your ankle dorsiflexion is the culprit, but it is highly likely that there is something going on with the muscle function around your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and/or core.
The easiest way to know for sure is to get your body assessed by a trained MAT® practitioner.
At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, we have over 25 years of collective experience practicing Muscle Activation Techniques® in Schaumburg and throughout the Chicagoland area. We have had the distinct pleasure of helping people from all walks of life and ability levels address their muscle inhibition to help a wide variety of pain and symptoms go away.
We have been trained in the highest levels of MAT®–including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete–and are the most highly-trained practitioners in the Chicagoland area.
If you are interested in getting your muscles assessed with Muscle Activation Techniques® to see where you may have some inhibited muscles that are creating issues, Julie and I would love to see you on our MAT® table. Just click here to get started with your initial MAT® consultation and assessment.
We can’t wait to see you soon!
Charlie
Charlie Cates is the leading consultant to high-level professional, college, and high school basketball players in the Chicagoland area for injury prevention, recovery, and muscle performance.
As one of Chicago’s most sought-after Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioners, he is certified in the highest levels of MAT®, including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete.
A former college basketball player, he uses his personal experience and understanding of the game and player demands to create customized exercise options for his clients to recover faster and perform their best.
He sees clients in-studio at Muscle Activation Schaumburg as well as in-home.
You can schedule your MAT® assessment with him by clicking here, and be sure to follow him on Instagram at @CharlieCates!